Stretch of Cliff Drive to get lights

ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A stretch of Cliff Drive along the Mesa will get a facelift after Santa Barbara city leaders unanimously approved funding for street lighting improvements.
The city will spend about $450,000 to install conduits for future streetlights, convert existing lights to a city-owned system and add seven new streetlights as part of a larger Southern California Edison project to put utilities underground on Cliff Drive roughly between Meigs Road and Flora Vista Drive.

"I couldn't be more thrilled," Councilmember Iya Falcone said. "I know there are other neighborhoods in the city that are equally deserving, but this is going to be such an incredible boon to that seaside parkway."
Using funds from the Underground Utility Fund earmarked for the Coastal Zone, the city will not only add more lighting for a corridor that staff described as under-illuminated and not up to par with city standards, but will also upgrade lighting fixtures to a decorative style.
"We're seeing how good planning and thought process of how to spend money goes a long way to provide for something that is much more visually acceptable," Councilmember Helene Schneider said.
The Council had three options up for discussion yesterday, described by staff as minimal, moderate and full. The minimal option provided simply for an upgrade of fixtures to a decorative style, which would cost just $12,000.
Moderate provided a conduit infrastructure for future streetlights at a cost of $200,000, but left the streetlights on a flat-rate billing system through Southern California Edison. The full upgrade, which the Council opted for, switched the lighting to a metered system that is cheaper than the flat-rate billing, in addition to providing more lighting with decorative styling.
Councilmember Williams, sitting in for Mayor Blum — who recused herself as a resident of that area — asked about the potential for solar power to be used.
"The lighting panels would be exposed and would be rather large and cumbersome," John Ewasiuk, city underground utility manager, said. He also pointed out that solar panels will only provide three to six hours of lighting and will be four to five times more costly than a decorative upgrade alone.
Construction to place utilities underground and update the street lighting is slated to begin in fall 2008.